Foundation to open doors

The deep fryers, loud carpet and old-school memorabilia are gone, replaced by Catholic artwork and muted tones of cream and black.

The original Wendy's restaurant, at 257 E. Broad St., is now, officially, the Catholic Foundation.

The deep fryers, loud carpet and old-school memorabilia are gone, replaced by Catholic artwork and muted tones of cream and black.

The original Wendy's restaurant, at 257 E. Broad St., is now, officially, the Catholic Foundation.

The renovated 16,000-square-foot building will be unveiled at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1:30 p.m. today. Mayor Michael B. Coleman, City Council President Michael C. Mentel and Columbus Bishop Frederick F. Campbell are to be among the guests.

The foundation raises money for the churches, schools and ministries of the 23-county Catholic Diocese of Columbus. The foundation bought the building last year, eager for increased visibility across the street from St. Joseph Cathedral.

The restaurant closed in 2007. The foundation, which had rented space on S. High Street, had looked at more than 100 parcels of real estate over three years before buying the property.

The new space is ideal, said Jennifer Damiano, executive director.

Being near the cathedral gives "the idea our presence is important and we're here to stay," she said.

Neither the foundation nor Wendy's would reveal the selling price. But the total project, including the purchase and renovations, cost $1.7 million, Damiano said.

Most of that came from one donor, the late Ruth Lang, for whom the boardroom is now named.

The building was designed to mimic the cathedral, with brick buttresses between the windows and a center tower topped with four crosses.

It houses seven offices and a boardroom on the second floor. The crossbeams in most windows form subtle crosses.

The first floor, where the restaurant was, is a garage for staff parking and a vacant space that could eventually be leased.

The office doors were originally part of St. Joseph Academy, the Downtown girls school that closed in 1977.

The foundation, founded by Bishop James A. Griffin, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. One of the five largest Catholic foundations in the country, it expects to give away its 50-millionth dollar as well.